Nelson Bay flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Nelson Bay
(Port Stephens, NSW) - 15.76 km², mapped from live council and
state overlay data. This suburb is highly constrained.
Profile updated 3 October 2026.
Suburb-wide figures; the free map shows which overlays touch your lot.
Constraint readout
15.76 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Nelson Bay's boundary, with the flood, bushfire and environmental overlays drawn on top. Magenta is where aircraft were observed in the sampled period, brightest below 3,000 ft.
Nearby suburbs, nearest first
Aircraft noise and flight paths over Nelson Bay
Two different things, kept apart on purpose. The ANEF contour is the planning instrument - a forecast published per airport that planning schemes use to control noise-sensitive development. Observed overflight is what a sampled aircraft-tracking feed actually recorded over the suburb - where aircraft flew, how low and how often.
Observed overflight - sampled 4 Sep to 2 Oct 2026
typical observed square 3 a day
Night movements: not established - night is sampled as often as day, but too few night flights have been seen here to conclude either way.
Traffic is sampled rather than watched continuously, so every figure is a floor: aircraft not captured between samples are not represented. Rates are per 500 m square - the busiest square in the suburb, not a count of flights over the suburb - and a square is only rated where enough traffic was seen to measure it. Altitudes are above mean sea level. Flight paths change with runway use, weather, season and airspace design. This is a record of observed traffic; it is not a noise contour and not a planning control.
Nelson Bay at a glance
How Nelson Bay is zoned
Buying in Nelson Bay? The zoning, flood and bushfire lines on the section 10.7 certificate attached to the contract are mapped controls - see our s10.7 certificate guide.
Across its 15.76 km², Nelson Bay is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 25% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 79% is flagged bushfire-prone. There are 5 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is National Parks and Nature Reserves. The median lot measures about 641 m² across 3,241 parcels.
Who lives in Nelson Bay
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Nelson Bay suburb boundary itself, not a wider region.
Socio-economic standing
ABS SEIFA 2021 ranks every Australian suburb. Decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth of the country, decile 10 the least.
Score 969, and decile 4 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Nelson Bay's 6,141 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Nelson Bay Peninsula, the wider ABS statistical area containing Nelson Bay. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Nelson Bay itself.
17,533 in 2001 to 22,156 in 2025, up 26%.
Source: ABS Census 2021 and SEIFA 2021 (Suburbs and Localities), Regional Population (SA2), CC BY 4.0. Small counts are randomly adjusted by the ABS.
Nelson Bay data sources and coverage
“Not mapped” means we hold no source layer for this suburb - never an all-clear.
| Dataset | Coverage | Publisher |
|---|---|---|
| Flood mapping | Mapped | NSW Government spatial services, NSW ePlanning and published council flood studies |
| Bushfire-prone mapping | Mapped | NSW Government spatial services, NSW ePlanning and published council flood studies |
| Zoning | Mapped | NSW Government spatial services, NSW ePlanning and published council flood studies |
| Heritage and environment | Mapped where published | NSW Government spatial services, NSW ePlanning and published council flood studies |
| Aircraft noise contours (ANEF) | Not held | NSW Government spatial services, NSW ePlanning and published council flood studies, Defence |
| Observed flight paths | Observed | adsb.lol, under the Open Database License |
| Demographics | Available | Australian Bureau of Statistics (2021 Census and SEIFA) |
Profile last materially updated 3 October 2026. See the methodology and full source list. Source data changes over time and critical decisions should be checked with the responsible authority.
Check a specific Nelson Bay address
See exactly which overlays touch a single property - the interactive map is free. Need it on paper? A full planning PDF is just $9.
Aircraft have been seen below 3,000 ft over about 15% of Nelson Bay. The report's Aircraft Overflight page narrows that to the address itself: how many aircraft a day, how low, and at what heights.
Building or pricing a slab? The $119 geotechnical desktop report covers geology, soils, bores and an indicative AS 2870 site class for a Nelson Bay lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Nelson Bay planning - frequently asked
Is Nelson Bay flood-prone?
About 25% of Nelson Bay falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 45%.
Is Nelson Bay bushfire-prone?
Around 79% of Nelson Bay is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Port Stephens average of 82%.
Is Nelson Bay under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 15% of Nelson Bay, and over about 32% at any altitude up to 10,000 ft, in the period sampled (4 Sep 2026 to 2 Oct 2026). The lowest measured aircraft was at 500 ft, with an average of 5,000 ft. At the busiest point in the suburb about 3 aircraft a day were recorded passing over one 500 m square. Traffic is sampled rather than watched continuously and flight paths change with runway use, weather and season; the ANEF contour is the planning instrument.
What is the zoning in Nelson Bay?
The dominant planning zone in Nelson Bay is National Parks and Nature Reserves, though the suburb also includes Public Recreation and Low Density Residential.
Does Nelson Bay have heritage-listed places?
Nelson Bay has 5 heritage-listed places on record.
What is the typical lot size in Nelson Bay?
Across 3,241 surveyed parcels in Nelson Bay, the median lot size is about 641 m². There are also 24 registered easements mapped in the suburb.
Does Nelson Bay have a train station?
There is no train station inside Nelson Bay itself. The suburb is served by 126 bus stops.
What is the population of Nelson Bay?
At the 2021 Census Nelson Bay had 6,141 usual residents, with a median age of 51 and an average household size of 2.2 people. The wider Nelson Bay Peninsula statistical area, which contains Nelson Bay, went from 17,533 people in 2001 to 22,156 in 2025, up 26%.
Is Nelson Bay an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Nelson Bay scores 969 and sits in decile 4 of 10 nationally and decile 4 within New South Wales (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).
What is the median household income in Nelson Bay?
Median household income in Nelson Bay was $1,305 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,421 for the typical suburb in Port Stephens. Median rent was $380 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,842 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Corlette | 2.4 km | 20% | 44% |
| Fingal Bay | 2.7 km | 22% | 78% |
| One Mile | 3.5 km | 52% | 83% |
| Shoal Bay | 3.8 km | 27% | 84% |
| Salamander Bay | 4.4 km | 52% | 75% |
| Boat Harbour | 5.8 km | 13% | 78% |
| Taylors Beach | 6.6 km | 77% | 97% |
| Port Stephens | 6.6 km | 96% | 4% |
| Anna Bay | 6.6 km | 58% | 76% |
| Fishermans Bay | 6.7 km | 6% | 100% |